Improvement in watee-wheels



@geiten gtst-ra etrnt @fitte WILLIAM COOPER, OF HANCOCK, MARYLAND. Leners Paten: No) 69,410, dans october 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONOERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM COOPER, of Hancock, in the county of Washington, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and improved Water-Wheel; and that the following description, taken in connection-with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements, by which my invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim, and desire to have secured to me hy Letters Patent.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class oi water-wheels which are placed on a vertical shaft, and are commonly termed horizontal wheels.

The invention consists in a new and improved application of gates to the wheel, whereby the former may be opened and closed simultaneously 'with the greatest facility, and retained at any point without interfering in the least with the proper action of the water upon the buckets. In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 1 isa vertical central section of my invention, taken in the line :c lig. i2.

n Figure 2, a horizontal and oblique section of the same, taken in the line y y, fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A represents a vertical shaft, on which the wheel B is secured, the latter consisting of three heads, a a a, placed one above the other, and the upper one, a', being solid throughout, with a horizontal central portion, b, and an inclined outer portion, b', as shown clearly in iig. 1. The other two heads a a are open at their central part, as shown at c, the outer part, c', being inclined, corresponding with the inclined parts b ofthe upper head at', the inclined parts or portions of the three heads corresponding with each other. `Between these heads the buckets C of the wheel are placed. These buckets are of curved form, as shown in iig. 2, the outer parts of the buckets at their face sides, which receive the water, 4being of concave form, and the inner parts, at the same side, of convex form, as shown in iig. 2. Thesebuckets extendfrom the openings c of the heads a a to their Youter edges, and they,voi` course, incline downward from their outer to their inner ends. The wheel is encompassed at its lower end by an annular plate or rim, D, and a circular plate, E, is over the top of the wheel. Between the plate E and lthe rim D there is placed a series of chutes, F, which haven tangential position relatively with the wheel. The plate E and rim D are fixed, and consequently the chutes F, and the position of the latter causes the water to strike the buckets C at right angles, as will be fully understood by referring to ig. 2. The chutes F extend from the inner to the outer edges of the rim D and plate E, and between said rim and plate there is also secured a seriespf'gates, G, which work on pivots d, and are of such a length as, when closed, to fully cover the spaces between the outer ends of thefchutes and shut oil' the water from the wheel. Each gate G is provided at its upper edge with a vertical pin, d', and these pins pass through oblong slotsf in arms H, which are secured by pivots g to acircular plate, I, placed loosely ou the shaft A, and resting upon the top plate E. The arms II are provided on the lower side with a shoulder, which prevents them from turning inward about the pivot g beyond a proper limit. The outer ends ofthe arms H are connected by springs J to the edge of the plate I. K is an arm, the inner end of which is firmly secured to a hub, L, on the centre of plate E, and through the outer end of this arm a vertical shaft, L, passes, having a pinion, M, on its lower end, which gears into a toothed segment, N, attached to the plate I. By turning the shaft L the plate I will be turned through the medium of the pinion M and segment N, and the arms I-I, in consequence of being connected to the gates G, as shown, will open the latter when the plate I is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 1, the gates being closed when the plate I is turned' in the opposite direction. The springs J perform an important function, as they admit, in case of one or more gates being obstructed by drift-wood, of all the other gates being closed, said springs yieldingand admitting ofthe movement of `the arms H, as the plate I is turned, without the movement of the gates. The oblique position of the buckets C causes the water to act upon them both by impact `and gravity.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The gates G, operated through the medium of the circular plate I, pivoted arms H, and springs J, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified. l

2. The combination and arrangement of the slotted arms H, springs J, plate I, as and for the puilpose specified.

WILLIAM COOPER.

Witnesses:

I. SNIVELY, G. C. BLACKMAN. 

